The events in honor of Our Lady of Health, patron saint of the council of Cabrales , are always celebrated on the Sunday following September 8th, which is Asturias Day, the festive day of the autonomous community.
The history of this devotion is linked to that of an emigrant from Cabrales, Francisco Bueno de la Bárcena , who fell ill in Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cádiz) around 1830 and, when he was freed from blindness, ordered an ivory virgin to be brought from Seville , for which a chapel was built in Carreña.
Since then, the Virgin only leaves her sanctuary once a year, for the massive procession where all the inhabitants of Carreña, as well as the residents of the surrounding villages (Arenas, Arangas, Tielve, Asiegu, Berodia, Puertas…), come together to celebrate; each with their own songs and offerings of bouquets. The Carreña festival becomes the festival of the entire municipality.
"Today we come down to sing to you, on the day of your feast all together worship you."
The women wear traditional village dresses, and the men wear traditional Porruano attire. The bouquets , all different and with striking floral motifs, crafted with meticulous detail and adorned with great care, arrive at the chapel after midday. The young men carry them on their shoulders. The children carry bouquets more appropriate to their size.
The young women, who also adorn their tambourines with ribbons of different shades depending on the locality, sing popular verses like this one:
«It's Carreña who sings to you,
It's not us, mother.
It's Carreña who sings to you,
the town is on its knees,
before you in thanksgiving »
Castanets, tambourines, drums and bagpipes set the pace all day, both at the solemn mass in the town square and in the multitudinous procession through the streets and neighborhoods of the capital city of Cabrales.
The festivities begin on Saturday night, the eve of the festival , with the traditional and spectacular procession and burning of the Panorama , illuminated by fireworks. This wooden and paper figure, a centuries-old tradition, features a different theme each year. Its more than 100-year history, fostered by the artisans of Cabrales, originally served to illuminate the village women as they offered the ramu (a decorated branch) to the Virgin.
The main day, following the religious ceremonies, features a spectacular gathering of bagpipers organized by the local band: Picos de Europa DOP Cabrales. This is the Picos de Europa Festival , which includes the participation of bagpipe bands from all over the principality, culminating in the "grand parade," where more than a hundred bagpipers, playing together, delight the crowds that fill the main street.
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
